Board of Directors
Joseph M. Ogundu, PHD, MBA - Board Chairman President/Principal Consultant
Dr. Joseph M. Ogundu is the Chairman/CEO of Emerald Global Consulting Inc., a Farmington Hills, Michigan based consulting firm. Dr. Ogundu brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from the automotive, oil & gas and service-related industries to Emerald Global Consulting Inc. His experience includes consulting and direct operating activities in the following areas; operations leadership, strategy, business process excellence, risk management, program/project execution, supply chain management, six-sigma, manufacturing engineering, HITRUST, lean transformation and total quality management. He has experience executing restructuring and organizational turnaround. Dr. Ogundu is a quality and operations excellence practitioner with expertise in solving complex operations problems and delivering results. He was an employee of General Motors Corporation, Ford Motor Company, Daimler Chrysler AG., and Country Coach Inc. Dr. Ogundu was adjunct professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering at both Lawrence Technological University, Southfield Michigan and Oakland University, Rochester Michigan, and adjunct professor of Business Administration at Kettering University, Flint Michigan.
David W. Jones - Legal Counsel, Emerald Global Consulting Inc.
Partner, Allen Brothers Attorneys & Counselors, PLLC
A partner in Allen Brothers, Attorneys & Counselors, PLLC, David is the consummate advocate. A practicing attorney for over 20 years, David has been a Prosecutor, Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Michigan, and counsel for municipalities, commercial entities and individuals. David has developed a sterling reputation for his skill and acumen as a legal practitioner. David is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the courts of the State of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan, the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association.
Gregory D. Collingwood, MBA - Board Member Senior Vice President / Executive Coach of Leadership & Program Management
Gregory Collingwood brings a wealth of experience in the areas of leadership, project/program management and operations. Greg is the President of Citation Plastics, LLC, a distributor of chemicals, plastics and engineered resins. He provides coaching in the areas of operations leadership, project/program management and operations. He also assists companies that are trying to gain market share primarily in automotive and consumer goods market. His technical and product knowledge is exemplified in his program management expertise from application concept, development, to ongoing program management.
Dr. Benjamin Benson - Board Member
Executive Director- Lawrence Tech University Professional Development Center (PDC)
Dr. Benjamin Benson brings a world of experience to topics of operations, change and strategy and IT transformation. He led Mergers and Acquisitions as a global partner at Accenture and Spherion overseeing more than 70 engagements worldwide in ERP, Supply Chain, PMO and Product Development. He is recognized as one of the most called upon consultants for large-scale IT, process and organization projects. Clients include Aon, Best Buy, Blue Cross, Cardinal Health, Chase Bank, Chrysler, Coca-Cola, Detroit Energy, Honda, Mazda, NASA, Nissan, University of Michigan and Wells Fargo. Ben is an expert in the areas of Innovation, Finance, Lean Six Sigma, ERP Implementation, Strategy, Project Management and Business Sustainability.
Hilrie Edwards - Board Vice Chairman Sr. Vice President / Executive Coach - Supply Chain Management and Program Support
Hilrie Edwards has a broad range of experience in the automotive industry. He is an expert in supply chain management and has led many supply chain management projects at General Motors Corporation (GM), Trim-X Technologies Inc. and Axis Manufacturing Technologies Inc. His assignments have been in the areas of Senior Purchasing Buyer, Supplier Development Manager, Purchasing Manager and Advanced Quality Manager, primarily at GM for 15 years. Mr. Edwards was President of Axis Manufacturing Technologies Inc. a company that manufactures interior trim parts and shipping containers. Customers included GM, Ford Motor Company, Magna Corporation and Northrup Grumman. He recently sold a majority share of his company to an investment group.